the danger of landscaping with cocoa mulch

Posted by Jules Benson
on May 16 2014Chief Veterinary Medical Officer of Petplan

It’s spring, which means it’s time to get out the spade, the shovel and the gardening gloves. A quick trip to the store for bulbs, seeds, and mulch and you’re on your way.

Just one thing though…when you buy mulch, read the ingredients. If it has Theobromine in it, put it down and back away slowly. Yes, it’s true, mulch with Theobromine, like cocoa mulch, is good for many reasons - it’s lightweight, easy to spread, deters slugs and snails, looks nice and smells like chocolate. But it’s bad for one – it can harm your pet. If eaten by a cat or dog it can lead to illness and in extreme cases, death.

Keep your pets safe with alternatives to coca mulch like cedar chips and straw. They’re less toxic and they don’t smell quite as delicious. But, because not all accidents can be avoided (if they could, they wouldn’t be called accidents) there’s Petplan pet insurance.

Cocoa Mulch Poisoning Facts:

•50% of cases report vomiting.

•33% of cases report tremors. This was cause when the amount ingested was “large or significant”.

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